Chemical plant explosion rocks Massachusetts town

DANVERS, Mass., Nov 22 (Reuters) Huge explosions at a chemical plant today rocked a suburb north of Boston early sparking a massive fire that injured 10 people and damaged nearly 100 homes and buildings, authorities said.

The explosions at privately held ink maker CAI Inc. in the town of Danvers, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Boston, were felt as far away as neighboring New Hampshire and Maine just before 3 am (1330 hrs IST), but no one was seriously injured.

''This is a lot like a 2,000-lb bomb being dropped on a residential neighborhood,'' Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney told reporters. Danvers Fire Chief James Tutko said the blast leveled the plant and devastated the area around it.

''It looks like a war zone,'' he said.

State authorities said the source of the explosion was unclear.

The fire sent plumes of black smoke about 100 feet (30 metres) in the air in the blue-collar town of 25,200 people on Massachusetts' northern shore. An acrid smell lingered in the afternoon, and some locals said they feared for their health.

But fire officials said flames were under control. Live television showed the simmering debris of CAI's flattened factory and emergency workers sifting through wrecked homes.

The initial blast sent an orange mushroom cloud in the sky, blowing out windows of buildings, knocking some homes off their foundation and sending frightened locals fleeing into the street, some bleeding, witnesses said.

''It was unbelievable,'' Bob Dunn, who witnessed the explosion, told Boston's CBS news affiliate. ''It actually took my truck one lane over into the second lane.'' ''It's hard to describe. I'm still shaking two hours later,'' Dunn added.

State authorities said between 100 and 200 people were evacuated and would remain in temporary shelters at local schools until the fire was put out and the safety of their homes, many of which were seriously damaged, had been confirmed.

''Some people called thinking it was an earthquake somewhere,'' said Peter Judge, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

The Environmental Protection Agency's on-scene coordinator, Michael Nalipinski, said initial tests of the air near the site showed no elevated levels of dangerous gases.

But when his team arrived early in the morning they saw ''bright purple'' runoff draining into the tributary of the Danvers River along which the plant was located, he added.

A woman who answered the phone at CAI's office in nearby Georgetown, Massachusetts, said, ''We have no comment at this time.'' She declined to be identified.

The company makes printing inks and other coatings used in industrial applications.

Esther Pelleti, 69, of Danvers, said: ''It woke me right up.

All I remember is that I jumped up and was standing next to the bed. There was a loud boom. The house shook. And I live all the way across town.'' Reuters SBA VP0225